Everyday Homicides in the nation Fall Over a Third In President Sheinbaum, According to Government Figures

The typical count of everyday homicides each month in the country has decreased by more than a third since President Claudia Sheinbaum took office, according to fresh administrative figures. Nevertheless, public safety analysts have advised that murder numbers might not indicate enhanced national safety.

Significant Decline in Per-Day Averages

Officials reported an average of close to 55 homicides a day in last November as opposed to almost 87 when Sheinbaum began the leadership in September of last year. This announcement was provided by the head of the nation's federal public security system, Marcela Figueroa Franco, during the president’s daily news conference on a recent Tuesday.

“The result in murders that have been recorded in these past months is remarkably significant,” Claudia Sheinbaum stated, noting that in November the least figure of murders were documented for any single November in the past 10 years.

Historical Background and Government Strategy

Violent organized crime internal conflicts, coupled with the government’s highly military efforts to confront the cartels, have caused Mexico’s murder rate rise sharply in the past few years. The figure hit a record high of 36,773 killings in 2020, as reported by the nation's official data office.

That resulted in Mexico a homicide rate over 4x greater than the United States. However, killings have been on the decline, dropping to 33,550 last year. Claudia Sheinbaum has linked her public safety strategy for an seemingly sharper decline in killings this year.

At a press conference in August, the President stated: “There is a plan, there is oversight of the strategy, and we have specific monitoring locality by locality in some cases. The approach works. And we have to keep working at it every day.”

The main pillars of the President's safety strategy include:

• Bolstering Mexico’s national guard.
• Improving intelligence and investigative capabilities.
• Increased collaboration between government authorities.

Expert Caution and Data Concerns

But, security researchers urged caution that using murder statistics to paint a picture of improved security was flawed. This is particularly true given the rise in different criminal activities such as abductions.

“It would be positive news if this was a drop, but I think we can’t just concentrate on the murder data and think: ‘Alright, great,’” stated Cecilia Farfán-Méndez, an authority on Mexican criminal organizations. “I would be cautiously hopeful.”

According to the policy research thinktank Mexico Evalúa, homicides in total declined by more than 20% in the first 10 months of this year compared with the same period the previous year. But, missing persons cases have risen by 15% and in some regions have increased by as much as 200%.

“Data on homicides is no longer valid for gauging the reality of insecurity,” said Armando Vargas, a safety expert at Mexico Evalúa. “Firstly, we have police and investigators who do not have the capacity or the inclination to accurately identify and classify bodies. Second, organized [criminals] … have the capability to hide violent acts through abductions.”

Vargas pointed out that relying on monthly averages of daily homicides was similarly concerning because it may hide days when there were particularly high numbers of murders.

“Employing the per-day mean renders surges of violent crime invisible,” he said.

Arrests and Confiscations as Metrics of Success

An area where the administration can point to the success of its safety strategy is on arrests and confiscations. Nearly 40,000 suspects were apprehended between last October and November 2025 for high-impact offenses, according to government figures. Over 20,000 guns were seized and 311 tons of drugs confiscated.

“The former US president can't claim President Sheinbaum of doing nothing, because the reality is she is doing a lot with these thousands of arrests, thousands of seizures, and all the operational degrading of criminal groups. It’s very in political terms advantageous,” stated Vargas.

Ongoing Unrest and Societal Anger

Yet in spite of these measures, Mexico remains beset by extreme violence, with multiple regions in the throes of cartel-related bloodshed. Recently there was a prominent murder of a well-liked mayor in the state of Michoacan, among 10 mayors assassinated in the last year.

A short time after, thousands of young people demonstrated in the capital and throughout the country to express their outrage at graft and cartel violence.

“The administration presents [data] in a manner to create a story of security. From a political standpoint it’s very effective, from a social perspective it’s very problematic,” Vargas remarked.